By The Hillside

Chapter 4

Louis had never thought he would even let the thought cross his mind, but he missed waking up to his alarm. Lately, it had been nurses, a very bad dog breath, and now someone knocking repeatedly on his door.

Louis groaned, sitting up in bed. He was shirtless, wearing only boxers, but he was too tired to think about being decent. "Come in!" he groggily called, rubbing his eyes.

The door opened, and Harry stood there. He was wearing jeans, the belt with the big buckle, but, surprisingly, no cowboy hat.

"What?" hissed Louis. "I was sleeping."

"And the sun is up, which means work." Harry stepped further into the room. He scrunched his nose. "You need to open a window in here. It smells."

"Well, I get very cold easily."

Harry's eyes landed on Louis' chest. "Yet you're not wearing pyjamas."

Louis rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Why are you here?"

"I live here."

"Congratu-fucking-lations," Louis mumbled, stretching his arms above his head. "Want a medal?"

Harry shook his head. "Didn't expect you to have that many tattoos."

Louis looked down at his chest. "Oh, right."

"Thought it was only your arms."

"You care... why?"

"Are you always this grumpy in the morning?"

"Yes. Please get to your point now."

"We are going shopping today!" Harry announced. "In town. We need a lot of stuff and you're gonna help me."

"Does it have to be right now?" Louis groaned.

"Yep. I need to be back before the afternoon."

"I despise you."

"I thought we had a real bonding session yesterday."

"Can't remember."

Harry rolled his eyes. "There is some breakfast ready for us to go. Shower, get dressed, come down."

"You're not my dad," Louis mumbled, laying down on the mattress once again.

Harry sighed. "No, thank God. I pity him."

Louis sat up faster than lightning. "Go out." His words were harsh, cold. "I will be down in fifteen."

"Mhmm." Harry backed toward the door. "Alright."

"Mhmm, my arse!" Louis called after him as he left the room.

As soon as the door closed behind Harry, he crossed his arms over his chest, mumbling, "How dare he speak of my father, that bitch."

Louis was having very mixed feelings about the man that was Harry Styles. One minute he was... somewhat friendly, then he commented on Louis being rich, then he was nice again, and now he was commenting on Louis' Dad. Pitying him for having a son like Louis.

Maybe Harry had meant it as a joke, but Harry was also the only God damn person at that whole ranch who knew Louis' story. Maybe that was why Harry pitied Louis' father. Because he knew what a big fuck up Louis was underneath the facade.

The boy who was so perfect, but threw it all away to get high and drunk on the feeling of forgetting.

When Louis thought about it like that, he also pitied his dad slightly. Who would want to have him as a son? Maybe it wasn't Mark's fault for not forming a bond with Louis, maybe he had just realised long ago that Louis' whole life would go downhill, and he wouldn't even bother to try.